The capital city of Fredike is very old and has changed hands over the centuries often enough that no one architecture is most prominent, though if one is truly educated on their history it is possible to tell how old an area of the city is just by observing the buildings. It is currently high summer, and the capital is hot and humid, with stalls selling cooling summer treats on most corners.

The Capitol Building itself, by contrast, is very new and enjoys all the most efficient construction improvements. It sits on the former grounds of the old castle, the ancestral home of the ruling family that produced Feltrik the Unifier, the king that decided to abdicate his throne and work to build a united continent. The castle has been a museum for years and years, but was unfortunately utterly destroyed about 10 years ago, and it was decided that the old capitol building be repurposed, and a new building be constructed. It is faced all over in beautiful Blue Vein marble, located only in a quarry not far from the capital, and its modest 5 floors sit just barely above the sounding buildings, emphasizing the idea that the people inside are not above anyone, merely public servants.

Regardless of your point of origin, you have all been instructed to report to the Capitol Building's main entrance. Some of you might have been close enough to travel by foot or horse. Some may have been granted teleportation from the Guild due to the urgency of your assigned task. In either case, it is now morning on the 7th day since the ship was first sighted off the western coast, and the 5th day since the Council sent out a commission to the local Adventuring Guild headquarters in the various areas of the continent. Whether you have just arrived, or have been in the city for days, you have now all been summoned to the Council Chambers, where you are to be given the final briefing, such as it is, and be given some supplies and a chance to ask questions.

---

When you arrive in the chambers, you find that only one of the 9 seats at the council table is filled. The person sitting in that seat, which is the 6th from the left along the back wall of the chamber, is a fairly attractive, but severely dressed, elf of indeterminable age. She rises from her seat as you enter, and bows slightly before she sits back down, gesturing toward the seats arrayed in front of the long wooden table that separates the council from guests and observers.

As you sit, the simplicity of the room strikes you. It, along with the Capital Building itself, has been meticulously constructed for utility rather than fashion or opulence, befitting the nature of the no-nonsense government that works out of this edifice. Once you are all seated, the woman in front of you speaks.

"Welcome adventurers. I am Councilwoman Yelxidor. It is my sincere regret that the rest of the council could not be here to greet you, but I trust you understand exactly how busy we are, dealing with the panic that comes with the sudden arrival of aliens."

The elf sighs deeply and rubs the bridge of her nose. "That is what you are all here for, after all. You will be provided a Handy Haversack each, filled with nutritional requirements as befitting your biology, along with a fairly standard basic adventuring loadout designed to help unforeseen situations. I won't lie to you. We have basically no information, so we will be sending you in mostly blind. We need you to gather any new information from local agents on the scene, then make contact using your best judgment. To facilitate communicating back to the Capital, there is a journal in each of your packs. They are enchanted to always have another page when needed and are each linked to a twin here in the Capitol Building. Whatever you draw or write in your journals will be instantly copied to the twins. Unfortunately, the communication is one-way only. If we need to reach you, it will likely be by sending."

Councilwoman Yelxidor sits back in her chair. Like all of the council chairs, it is designed to be uncomfortable, just another reminder that comfort is not a part of the job, to further encourage a mindful attitude toward the running of the nation.

"I know this is both a lot and precious little information. Do you have any questions for me?"

---

The pack contains:

• backpack
• bedroll
• 1-pint flask
• 7 days’ trail rations
• healer’s kit
• hunting knife
• whestone
• bucket
• shovel
• hammer
• 2 square yards canvas
• fishing line and hook
• flint and steel
• iron pot
• signal whistle
• tent
• waterskin
• 2 vials antitoxin
• climber’s kit
• everburning torch
• crowbar
• 5 pitons
• grappling hook
• 50-foot silk rope
• 3x chalk
• 10-foot pole
• caltrops
• 1x acid
• 1x alchemist’s fire

Those of you who already bought a Handy Haversack may refund that purchase and get something else.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:03, Wed 12 July 2023.

Archimander leans forward in his seat, hands tented, legs dangling above the ground. As the councilwoman finishes, he purses his lips, raises his left eyebrow, and rises to stand on his chair.

Good Madam, While I do understand the need for haste, brevity is the soul of wit, not planning. You say you have basically no information; does that mean you do have a tidbit of information, however small that may be?

Archimander holds his hands behind his back, as he rocks on his toes, waiting for a response

[Private to GM: Rolling for a sense motive check, to ascertain whether there is any hidden information, underlying motive, or personal gain for Councilwoman Yelxidor, based on what information is given/withheld.

Roll: 14]

Dalitha walks across the fine marble floors with graceful, slippered steps, pausing a few feet before the table. Hands clasped in front of her waist, she inclines her head as a gesture of respect, "Thank you, Councilwoman."

Taking a seat across the table, Dalitha considers a moment before beginning her inquiries. "I understand that little is known of our visitors. Do we know, at least, if they have made any attempt at a landing on our shores? Or if the crew have been observed, if they sailed so close to shore as to allow it?"

"You're Archimander." The councilwoman states your name, almost as if confirming it to herself. "You are correct. I can tell you that the vessel in question is of a design that has no match on all of Ralan Gul. It seems to have 2 hulls, linked by some sort of scafolding, and the 3 sets of sails are hung from masts on both hulls. There are no recognizable markings on either hull, but there are symbols that on a Ralan Gul ship would be the ships name. We also have only one report of a person onboard, but the details are spotty there; the person seen in the deck of the starboard hull looked to be female, about 5 feet 6 inches tall, and was most likely human, but they were not on deck for enough time to be properly identified. So far, we only have reporting agreements from local observers in the area, but this came at a time when all of our most trusted agents are away on other tasks, so that's why we reached out to the Adventures Guild."

The councilwoman turns her gaze to Dalitha. "At this time, no, they have not made any known attempt to contact the shore at all. Part of the mystery is just exactly why they have not attempted a landing or any contact at all. We can only assume they are as shocked to find us here as we are to see them, and are simply trying to decide on their next move."

[Private to Archimander Q. Effluvient: She seems to be honest, and it does not seem like she is holding anything back.]
This message was last edited by the player at 05:38, Wed 12 July 2023.

Eleni had been on the southern coast visiting home when the call reached her. She had never teleported before, and was surprised by the vertigo that accompanied the travel. She managed to keep her food down and made her way to the council room.

Upon arriving to their briefing, she looked at the people who she would be adventuring with. Noticing a friendly face, she smiles at Vharza. Listening to the brief and the following questions she considers their situation and asks a few questions: "What is the condition of the ship itself? Does it show signs of wear from the Eternal storm? What resources can we expect from the local area, such as a boat?"

The councilwoman turns to look at Eleni. "A boat will be provided, and you will be teleported to an inn in the town of Ebonside, the closest coastal town to the ship. It does show signs of wear, but nothing like what we would expect coming through the storm. It seems almost every aspect of these visitors is a mystery."

Turning to address the whole party,she continues. "Once you arrive, your local contact will be Ingelnalor Addan, the innkeeper. If you find that you need anything immediate, he should be your first point of contact. You can also write your request in your journal."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:20, Wed 12 July 2023.

"I assume at least some divinations were attempted."  The suited goblin asked from the farthest seat at the table.  "Were the results resisted, obfuscated, or unclear?"

Zef had arrived by Guild portal from parts unknown, where he had been doing he wouldn't say what.

Turning to Zefinulus she continues.

"Indeed, divination has been attempted, but like everything on the other side of the Storm, it does not register at all. All scryings or other methods of magical information gathering have failed with no valid target. It's like it, along with it's crew and everything onboard, are not of this world. Even Outsiders and other planes of existence can be scryed. But our best mages just get blank patches of ocean.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:28, Wed 12 July 2023.

Archimander glances around the room as the conversation continues

So, to summarize, we have a strange watercraft, of unknown construction or origin, that is obscured to divination, with an unidentifiable crew, who has not made any attempt at contact or landing?

He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs, before continuing:

This may sound like a dumb question, but has any attempt been made to hail the ship and, if so, what happened?

Councilwoman Yelxidor smiles, a thin, nearly joyless thing. "When nothing is certain, no question is foolish. 3 such attempts have been conducted. 3 ships have come close enough to see the ship, and ascertain the description of the vessel. None have dared to make physical contact, not even come within 'earshot on calm waters', as the sailors put it. One had a minor mage onboard skilled in vocal manipulation and clairaudience, and they reportedly attempted to engage the crew inside the outsiders ship with conversation from aboard their own ship. They claimed the voices they heard sounded like people, and almost like they were speaking common, but as a baby might, just a babble of similar sylables with little to no ineligible meaning. A rogue wave ruined their concentration, and the uneasy feelings of the crew made the decision to head back to shore an easy one, so I hear. This was yesterday."

Turning to Archimander, Dalitha theorizes "I believe we are that attempt to hail the ship. Further, I would posit that their waiting to be approached is a good sign for relations with these guests. They are, I think, waiting to be welcomed to ensure that their approach is not received as an invasion or act of aggression."
She pauses a moment, pressing a finger to her lips, eyes flicking as though reading an invisible page in front of her before continuing,  "With that in mind, if they are here to negotiate friendly contact between nations, what invitations and concessions are we authorized to make? That is, providing directions to our other cities, facilitating the establishment of an embassy, teaching them our languages, and so on? What information are we explicitly to keep secret about our great nation? I would rather know these things in advance rather than risk some complication rendering you unable to reach us to clarify things in the field."

"You are correct. We are unfortunately in a position that deprives us of the agents we might otherwise send, so we needed to try and find alternates. As for invitations and concessions, for now the objective is simply to establish communication and gather information. If it can be ascertained that they are friendly, or at least not hostile, the Council would like for you to extend an invitation to Fredike to formally begin the process of opening diplomatic relations. If you have magical means of communicating, by all means use them. But first and foremost this is to be a fact finding and first contact mission. Learn everything you can, and don't aggravate them unnecessarily. We don't know how dangerous they are, so until we do, treat them like an old wizards tower in the wilds; liable to explode if a butterfly lands on it."

The elf considers for a moment before continuing. "I would like to suggest that you keep everything a secret about our lands, but that is unreasonable. Provide basics, but avoid detail when possible, and do what you can to make sure none of them slip away. I have been awake for 3 nights worrying about the possibility of strangers wandering unchecked in our lands. You are authorised to extend small consessions, like the promise to establish diplomatic relations, trade, an embassy, things of that kind. But do not promise any ownership of any lands."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:59, Wed 12 July 2023.

"Thank you, Councilwoman. That clarifies things greatly. When are we scheduled to depart?" The wheels of her capacious mind already turning, she begins a mental checklist of things to acquire before they leave the city.

[Private to GM: This is a short list for now, things like children's picture books to establish a language baseline, regional spices and fruits to showcase their cuisine, any information about skilled specialists or agents in their teleportation destination that might become useful (specifically, a good cook to hire to bring along). I don't need a response for these things right now, just giving you a heads-up.]

The plan is for you to depart by the end of the day, and probably rest at the inn tonight, with the aim to have you begin your investigation tomorrow morning. Once you depart, we here at the capitol can receive your reports and communicate in emergencies with sendings, but you will be largely on your own to dictate how you handle what transpires. You 6, collectively, are the face of Ralan Gul to the first strangers to our shores in longer than we have records to show. Nowhere in any records anywhere on the continent talk of anywhere else, either as a place people went to or came from. We have lived in isolation for untold millennia. Please approach this with the care and gravitas needed. One week ago, our whole world got upturned, and we are headed into a future we are completely unprepaired for.

Eleni listens carefully as the others ask questions and more information is revealed. The true scope of their task is what she thought it would be. Ambassadors to the newcomers and the ones who will be assessing their moral character to see if it was compatible with Ralan Gul's melting pot.

After some consideration, she says "Thank you for that information. I think we have enough to get prepared to teleport. I had to do that on the way here and I nearly lost my breakfast, but since time is of the essence I will endure it again. My last question for you is: What, if anything, are we authorized to offer to them? Items such as trade deals, tours, a port to anchor inside of, food to resupply them, or anything else you may have already discussed with the council already."

The cloaked crowfolk had remained silent, hanging towards the back of the chamber. Vharza had given Eleni a nod of recognition in return for her smile, but other than that had simply listened and watched. Information on the ship had been hard to come by before this. Finally, he snapped his beak shut, producing a hollow clop.

"So, the ship is not here, then. Small mercy." The crowfolk's voice was deeper than one might think from his frame, reverberating from deep with his chest. "But it is odd, is it not? Rattled around inside a wooden casket for who knows how long, not sure whether it will hold or shatter under the maelstrom, and when they're free of it they don't immediately pile out onto land? That speaks of discipline, fear or inability." The crowfolk shifted his footing, before giving a small shrug. "Or we may not be the only ones with access to teleportation. If these strangers are somehow shielded from us, would we be able to detect their sorceries?"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:16, Thu 13 July 2023.

"Suggest the possibility of anything you need to offer them, but for anything lasting or permininant, just emphasize that you are not authorized to make such promises. But a port, food and resupply? Those are easy gifts. Let them shelter, and get them back to the capital as soon as is feasible."

The councilwoman looks to Vharza as she speaks. "That is one of our concerns as well. If they are shielded from prying eyes and mages, we have no clue what magics they might be weaving. This is why information gathering is so vital to this mission. Because in truth, we have precious little information."

Zefinulus considered all that had been said, and nodded.  "Seems reasonable, as far as it goes.  Perhaps their magics also work differently than ours and so would be undetectable anyways - such effects are known to exist even on our island."

He reiterated the plan to be sure everything was properly understood.  "Teleport out by tonight.  Start investigation by tomorrow morning.  Make civil contact.  Report back.  Supply, Safe Port, Embassy on the table.  Encourage to come to capitol.  Eyes open for anything... untoward."

He looked around to see if everything was understood or if he had missed something.  He was also wondering if anyone else was prepared to go, or if there were other questions to ask which he had missed.

Jolas sort of loitered in the back of the group. All these folks seemed to have decent heads on their shoulders, they were asking the right questions. "All seems easy enough assuming they aren't cannibals or some such. Anyway, the thanks of a grateful nation is a reward all it's own and all that. But what might we expect in terms of a more tangible reward once the mission is complete? Just planning for victory is all."

Councilwoman Yelxidor nods along with Zefinulus' breakdown, then turns to Jolas at his words. "Yes, there is most certainly a reward, but I will be honest and say we don't have that planned in detail. By the Guild guidelines, transporting an unknown number of people safely has its own standard reward structure, but the highly specific nature of this mission goes beyond what the writers of those guidelines ever considered. The council is still conferring, but I can tell you that we consider this mission of the utmost importance and the reward we grant will be commensurate with the enormity of this task, and its value to the nation of Ralan Gul and every person on this continent."

Another klack sounded from Vharza's beak, his eyes closing for a moment. "Something I might suggest the Council arrange, if we are to bring these strangers ashore. Ensuring you have healers on-hand to check them for sickness. If they are indeed human, then they have been separated from their local kin for a long time, and an outbreak does not require malice."

The crowfolk's eerie green eyes opened again as he tilted his head, looking squarely at Councilwoman Yelxidor. "Malice, of course, could make everything worse. More than one war has been won by pestilence, and no-one else. These people may be quarantining themselves- it is one thing that would explain their behaviour."